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HOW SEATTLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA USED BRIGHTCOVE TO PIVOT TO VIDEO

bsp-admin-1 on March 1, 2021

6 REASONS WHY VIDEO HAS OPENED THE SEATTLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA’S EYES AND EARS

Symphony halls around the world have one thing in common: they’re all designed to be “acoustically wonderful,” says Christine Wood, Vice President of Marketing & Communications at the Seattle Symphony.

So when the Seattle Symphony had to shut down operations and cancel their shows when COVID-19 hit (just like every other performing arts organization), the live music stopped … temporarily.

“We always wanted to go online and have a more digital presence, and we were on our way to do that,” says Wood. “But we weren’t prepared to bring our whole business online.” That’s when Christine and her team reached out to Brightcove to help catapult the Seattle Symphony to a video-first model.

Christine recently joined us for a live panel discussion, where she shared six benefits the Seattle Symphony team discovered by pivoting to video.

GETTING UP AND RUNNING IN JUST 5 WEEKS

The Seattle Symphony reached out to Brightcove to help build an online video platform for two main reasons: to quickly reconnect with their audience and to sell subscriptions and pay-per-view shows. “When the pandemic hit, it was the first time we went to some of the material we have in our vault. We thankfully had recordings of different concerts that we were able to piece together for the rest of the season and stream,” says Wood. “We were really excited that we were able to pivot so quickly and to launch on the platform in five weeks.” The organization has live-streamed 20 concerts since launching, with plans to do even more in 2021.

STAYING CONNECTED TO A LOYAL FAN BASE

In the beginning, the Seattle Symphony wanted to make sure their subscribers were still able to “see the symphony” and offered some free broadcasts. “They’re our family,” says Wood. “We wanted to make sure that we were still able to perform for our patrons and to give them something that we’ve promised them.” With video, the Seattle Symphony made good on that promise.

REACHING NEW AUDIENCES AROUND THE WORLD

With the Symphony on Brightcove’s platform, people don’t have to be in downtown Seattle to see them perform. “We really have been able to expand our footprint,” says Wood. “We have audience members now in Texas, California. We have people watching in Norway. We’re excited about where it’s going to take us and the reach its given us outside of Seattle.”

CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR RICHER CONTENT EXPERIENCES

The musical content is compelling enough, but the Seattle Symphony isn’t stopping there. “We just finished interviewing videographers so that we could build more behind-the-scenes content,” says Wood. “We’re looking at what next season looks like, what can go live, and how we can maybe piece together some of those programs and have them on the platform longer.”

GETTING MORE MILEAGE OUT OF EVERY PERFORMANCE

Not too long ago, if you couldn’t get a ticket to the symphony, you were out of luck. Now, the only limitation is deciding if you prefer to watch a performance live or on-demand. “We have 2,500 seats in Benaroya Hall,” says Wood. “But now, on our Brightcove video platform, we have almost 4,000 people watching the live broadcast, and then we’re getting another 3,000 people on the replays within the first seven days.”

TAKING ADVANTAGE OF A HYBRID APPROACH

The Seattle Symphony is currently working through their five-year plan around a hybrid strategy to continue to offer in-person and virtual performances. “The great thing about being digital right now is you go to one performance, and if you really want to see it again, you can on the platform,” says Wood. “Brightcove has just helped us open so many doors and to so many new fans. We’re really excited to continue to explore how much further we can push it – the sky’s the limit!”

Nick Iuliano is Brightcove’s Senior Director of Content, helping to tell our best brand, product, customer, and partner stories across global marketing channels.

3 REASONS TO MONETIZE YOUR NEXT VIRTUAL OR HYBRID EVENT

bsp-admin-1 on February 23, 2021

Virtual events have now become a driving force in the way that we gather and communicate.

In fact, virtual events last year exceeded the revenue target of physical events for the entire year. Our virtual panel discussion “ROI ASAP, Monetizing Virtual Events,” features four experienced pros who’ve been making the most of their virtual events:

No matter if your event is free, sponsored, or paid, this roundtable discussion highlights the opportunities to tap into revenue both during and after the event.

Here are three takeaways from our panelists on why you should monetize your virtual events.

1. BIGGER AUDIENCES = BIGGER PAYOUT

With the global reach of virtual events, you’ll far exceed the numbers you’d normally see for a physical event. And that impacts sales, sponsorships, and advertising.

  • Brian Gates of RainFocus reports that virtual events in 2020 helped his clients increase their audiences by almost 500%.
  • With larger audiences tuning in to your virtual event, you’ll get more qualified leads to convert into future sales.
  • Sponsors always want a big audience and will pay to appear with your content as it engages thousands of people.
  • Virtual trade show events often attract key industry players and audiences, so these events often function as a “release party” for a new product or service. That means higher ad revenue.
  • Beyond the four walls of a conference center or concert hall, you now have “unlimited seating,” which translates into more customers and more revenue opportunities.
  • Once you establish a robust video platform for your virtual events, you can partner with other organizations to join you in distributing and monetizing content.

2. YOUR VIDEO CONTENT IS VALUABLE BEYOND THE EVENT

In the not-so-distant past, you’d hold a performance or event that would be finished the minute people walked out the door. No longer. The content you now create for your virtual events should be considered valuable–and never disposable.

  • On-demand content extends far beyond the event, offering more opportunities to charge viewers for premium and exclusive content.

  • Advertisers and sponsors will pay for the opportunity to extend their message by aligning with your on-demand content that lives on indefinitely.

  • Virtual events can transform into opportunities to create OTT broadcast-like channels, offering further engagement with customers and revenue opportunities.

  • Content from your virtual event can be divided and packaged into smaller units, such as podcasts, social videos, case studies, and even advertising, creating new ways to stay connected with your audiences.

  • Creating subscription models, either monthly or yearly, gives customers or patrons access to prerecorded, live, and behind-the-scenes material.

3. VIRTUAL EVENTS ARE INCREDIBLY COST-EFFECTIVE

Once you add up all the costs of a conference center, travel, food, and more, the price of a virtual event outweighs all of that – not to mention delivering a far bigger audience than an in-person event.

  • For companies who can’t afford to send their employees to a trade show, the much smaller price of a virtual event ticket makes it possible to go, increasing your attendance at the event.

  • Virtual events can be incredibly targeted, reaching small and intensely-focused groups receptive to content from you and your advertisers.

  • Sponsors are fully embracing and finding tremendous value in virtual events, gaining qualified leads as they work with you to be part of your overall content strategy.

  • In the non-profit sector, where funds are limited for in-person events, donor and fundraising goals can be achieved through virtual experiences.

So, as we look at 2021 and beyond, what’s next with virtual events? Well, they’re only going to get bigger and better as they showcase their ability to be seen on any screen anywhere in the world. With the power of video, you can engage both audiences and advertisers with a high-quality experience that will open hearts, open minds….and yes, open wallets.

If you missed our virtual panel discussion “ROI ASAP, Monetizing Virtual Events,” you can check it out below:

If you’re planning a virtual or hybrid event, we’d love to help. Get in touch with us here.

THE SXSW VIRTUAL EVENT STRATEGY: A BEHIND THE SCENES LOOK

bsp-admin-1 on February 22, 2021

Over the past year, a lot of marketers have faced the challenges of taking what is usually an in-person event and re-creating it virtually. South by Southwest is no exception.

As the official video partner for the first-ever all-digital SXSW Online, Brightcove has been given a front-row look at what it takes to pull off a virtual event of this caliber.

So we sat down with SXSW’s Chief Innovation Officer, Scott Wilcox, to dig into the South by team’s strategy for virtually bringing to life the iconic experience the conference is known for.

So, how are they doing it?

THE FORMAT? FIVE FULL DAYS OF NON-STOP CONTENT

SXSW is streaming up to 650 hours of live and pre-recorded content, 24 hours a day, for 5 days – no small feat. And once the conference is over, a lot of that content will live on as on-demand video, extending the longevity of the event.

PRIORITY #1 IS ATTENDEE EXPERIENCE

The combination of 5 different channels emulating the stages of years past will create a unique viewing experience for attendees and give them the flexibility to switch between channels in real-time.

It will be immersive: Each channel is specifically designed to provide the best experience for the type of content that will be shown on it – from musical showcases to films to thought leadership speakers to live script readings, and much more.

And each experience will be customized: Everyone attending SXSW can curate the custom experience that works for them. Attendees can jump in and out of the shared live experiences or go explore on-demand content on their own. If they miss something, they can immediately watch it whenever it’s convenient. And the best part?

Attendees can select their viewing experience based on what the content is: If attendees are watching a Brightcove Illumination Award-nominated film from the Film Festival, they can tune in on their connected TV after work. If they want to catch a live thought leadership session, viewers can watch from their computer during the work day. If viewers are looking to enjoy a musical performance while they’re cooking dinner, they can do that from their phone.

“We really feel like picking the right technology partner in Brightcove has really given us a leg up in being able to create this compelling, immersive, amazing experience,” says Wilcox.

FANS ARE GETTING GLOBAL ACCESS LIKE NEVER BEFORE

For the first time, access to all of the amazingness SXSW has to offer is available to viewers no matter where in the world they are. The virtual experience has opened up access – attendees can be anywhere, watching at any time of day. And it opened up the opportunity to work with unique talent around the world, too.

THE REAL-TIME DATA IS UNPARALLELED

The SXSW team plans to pay close attention to what their audience is watching and when – and then use that data to craft an even more customized experience.

And it’s all thanks to the power of video: “Video has become this really universal medium that everyone has relied on… it’s about connecting with other people. It’s a naturally powerful medium to be able to collapse time and distance for people,” says Wilcox.

Brightcove is proud to be the official video partner for the all-digital SXSW Online and SXSW EDU Online events, which, for the first time, will be completely virtual and streamed to attendees around the globe on March 16–20, 2021.

3 REASONS WHY VIDEO IS THE FUTURE OF ALL LEARNING

bsp-admin-1 on February 19, 2021

While the global pandemic has accelerated the growth of the e-learning industry, in Asia this trend has been on an upward trajectory for years. In fact, the e-learning market is expected to expand into a $90 billion USD opportunity in five years, with a projected CAGR of 11% from 2020 to 2026.

Due to competitive labour markets, education has always been a top priority in Asian countries. Not only are parents investing heavily in educating their children, national governments are also making learning and development top policy priorities. Lifelong learning, for instance, is extensively promoted by the Singapore government through the SkillsFuture initiative, a national program that seeks to guide learners on how to face new challenges and meet the needs of a rapidly changing economy.

Digital transformation in the education industry is well underway, with video as the catalyst that allows subject matter experts to reach global audiences easily while also making education generally more available and more affordable.

For students, online and on-demand educational videos help them learn anything and everything, from professional skills in information technology to the latest TikTok dance craze.

If you haven’t incorporated video into your online education and training courses yet, here are 3 reasons why you should.

1. TOTAL FLEXIBILITY AND PERSONALIZATION MEANS BETTER LEARNING EXPERIENCES

When it comes to enhancing flexibility and personalizing every step of the learning journey, video offers endless possibilities.

Video allows students to learn on the go and start or pause a lesson at any time. They can easily revisit lectures on demand and spend more time with concepts or content they may have missed the first time around.

For busy professionals spending long hours working and juggling responsibilities at home, video gives them the flexibility to decide what they want to learn and when they want to study.

And for education providers, video enables personalized learning experiences based on each student’s needs, as opposed to the one-size-fits-all approach typically seen in physical classroom settings. Educators can create videos and learning plans for different demographic segments, and they can reach students all over the world by adding multi-language subtitles.

2. INTERACTIVE VIDEO HELPS KEEP LEARNERS ENGAGED

While video has its advantages, it remains a largely passive experience unless students can actively participate and take control of their learning journey.

Fortunately, there are a number of ways to make videos interactive. For instance, including links to additional information or incorporating a multi-view feature allows key lessons to be experienced from different perspectives. Gamifying lesson paths, where learners make decisions about what happens next, can demonstrate how a series of choices can lead to different outcomes.

Educators can also create game-based learning plans in which points are earned for making the right decisions, trophies can reward learning milestones, and a final score can determine overall performance.

3. DATA UNLOCKS AUDIENCE INSIGHTS TO DRIVE MORE MEANINGFUL CONTENT CREATION

When you’re privy to individuals’ viewing behavior and preferences, such as what kind of content they’re watching and for how long, you gain insight into their interests as well as the effectiveness of your lessons or tutorials.

For instance, if a high percentage of viewers are jumping ahead to the next video before finishing the one they’re already on, chances are there are opportunities to make the lesson more engaging. Similarly, repeated viewings or constant playback might be an indication that the lesson is challenging to follow or not getting through to the learner.

By knowing who is watching what, you can also make tailored recommendations for what to learn next based on the content the learner is most likely to be interested in. Then all that’s left to do is sit back and watch student customer conversion and retention rates rise.

There’s no turning back from video in education. Even as in-person learning slowly resumes, we’ll continue to see education providers use video to reach global audiences with interactive lessons that keep learners coming back for more.

If you’re looking to move your class online, optimize your online course offerings with live or on-demand video streaming, or transform your corporate training programs with video, talk to us at Brightcove and see how we can help you deliver effective and compelling experiences for your learners.

TIPS FOR VIRTUAL EVENTS: ADOBE HEAD OF EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING

bsp-admin-1 on February 18, 2021

Despite all of the challenges that came with shifting in-person events to virtual ones last year, experimentation became a lot easier. At least that’s one of the silver linings discovered by Ben Rabner, Head of Experiential Marketing at Adobe.

Rabner, like many others, sees virtual events as opportunities to imagine what’s possible instead of feeling creatively confined. And as a result, Rabner has learned a lot over the past year and shared some of his tips for designing virtual event experiences during our recent Bright Spots, Big Thoughts panel discussion.

1. TEST, LEARN, OPTIMIZE, REPEAT

COVID-19 happened to hit just before Adobe’s annual marketing event, the Adobe Summit. “I think we were one of the first major brands to come out and say, ‘We’re pausing the live event, and we’re going to put this thing on virtually.”

When Adobe had to quickly shift to virtual, Rabner says the process of experimenting, asking, “Why can’t we do this?” and working through the tech to make it happen was the most exciting part.

Based on the team’s experience reimagining the Adobe Summit, they applied their learnings to their next virtual event: Adobe MAX, Adobe’s annual creative conference. And in the words of fellow Bright Spots, Big Thoughts panelist Elise Swopes, “Adobe MAX by far was nuts … they snapped on that.”

2. FIND THE STORY, AND THEN WEAVE IT THROUGHOUT

A virtual event’s story must be woven through every aspect to intentionally build and help advance the overall journey. Every interaction, starting with the initial invite and how attendees register, must be meticulously thought through.

According to Rabner, “You can really get creative and play with themes, and then pay it off when attendees come to the virtual event and you continue that story.”

One recent virtual event concept Rabner brought to life was based around the idea of taking attendees on a road trip. And what does every good road trip need? A special “mixtape,” of course. The team created a Spotify playlist and sent out printed cardboard “cassette tapes” with a QR code that directed attendees to the customized playlist.

Rabner suggests event planners “live the theme and topic” they are trying to convey, and the ideas will start flowing.

3. DON’T WAIT FOR THE EVENT TO START TO BUILD AN EMOTIONAL CONNECTION

According to Rabner, building connections virtually starts with meeting our basic human needs. “It’s about going back to the basics of behavioral economics. How are we really wired? What motivates us and inspires us as humans? And then how we can use technology and things to help us connect that?”

Rabner has seen great success with sending out curated packages in advance of events that are specifically designed to build anticipation, ignite the senses, and deliver emotion.

“Some of the things that I choose intentionally are things that activate additional senses because those connect in our brain. The part of our brain that houses our senses is located right next to the part that has the emotions […] so if you can engage those, they love to connect and work together.”

4. THINK OF YOUR ATTENDEES AS FRIENDS

When it comes to virtual events, it can be challenging to really empathize and think through the entire attendee experience end to end.

“I think it’s harder to have intention and purpose, and I hate to use the buzzword, but authenticity. It’s harder for that to come through in virtual events, and so you have to work so much harder to really help that translate through the virtual touch.”

Something that has helped Rabner to get over this hurdle is to not think of the audience as attendees but rather as friends. “My approach has been to think about it like I’m gathering people back around our family table for dinner, sharing this [experience] with them, and how can I do that in this really crazy environment now?”

5. USE QUESTS AND CHALLENGES AS ENGAGEMENT TACTICS

Session length, screen fatigue, and attendee engagement are important things to consider when designing a virtual event experience.

According to Rabner, “One of the challenges [with virtual events], and this is what the research and the behavioral economics show, is that you need to break up things. And generally, 15 to 20 minutes is the ideal time where you can have someone’s attention, and then you need to switch it up.”

According to Rabner, small group breakouts where participants are given a specific task or challenge that relates to the concept just presented are an effective engagement tool. “They get to work through that challenge, then they come back and share their learnings on it.”

6. TAKE INSPIRATION AND LEARN FROM OTHERS

Finally, Rabner suggests that with so many virtual events continuing to be made available, both live and on-demand, it’s a great opportunity to see what other brands and organizations are doing.

“I’ve attended a lot of virtual events and more so not because I’m bored and have nothing better to do […] but more out of curiosity because I’m trying to see what are other people doing that’s really good, and can I pull an idea out of it?”

More often than not, attending a virtual event, even one outside of your own industry, will likely spark some new ideas for you to consider or apply to your own virtual event experience.

If you’re planning a virtual or hybrid event, we’d love to help. Get in touch with us here.

How to ‘monetize’ online events

bsp-admin-1 on February 12, 2021

If you need to make a profit from your event, what are the main ways to do this for online events? As with offline events, the two main methods are “charging participants” and “advertising sponsorship fees”. In this article, we will introduce the main points of these two methods for online events. Please refer to them according to the characteristics of the event you are planning.

HOW TO SCALE A ZOOM MEETING WITH BRIGHTCOVE LIVE CONNECT

bsp-admin-1 on February 4, 2021

ZOOM MEETINGS HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO DO THIS BEFORE

Hear ye, hear ye, we would like to introduce you to Brightcove Live Connect, the latest integration of Brightcove Live and Zoom, available now on the Zoom Marketplace!

With 2020’s rapid pivot to video, organizations have had to kick their digital transformations into high gear. Using video tools to continue to stay connected internally and externally has quickly become business as usual.

Brightcove and Zoom are two industry leaders that have helped organizations remain connected virtually – and now Brightcove Live Connect brings our famous reliability, scalability, and security to the Zoom platform.

With Brightcove Live Connect, you can simply connect to a Zoom meeting or webinar and stream it to any size audience you want, securely and glitch-free. And with the Brightcove Video Cloud platform, you can create a fully branded experience that includes advertising, picture-in-picture, powerful analytics, and more.

Download Brightcove Live Connect on the Zoom App Marketplace, then stand back. Your Zoom meetings are about to get a lot more powerful.

10 VIRTUAL EVENT TIPS FROM THE CEO OF FREIGHTWAVES

bsp-admin-1 on February 2, 2021

Like many organizations, FreightWaves hosted its first major virtual event in 2020. This three-day virtual conference, FreightWaves LIVE @HOME, was proudly streamed by Brightcove and was a big departure from their in- person events.

Despite having only eight weeks to pivot from in-person to virtual, the event was hugely successful, and the organization learned some valuable lessons along the way.

Here are 10 virtual events do’s and don’ts FreightWaves’ Founder and CEO, Craig Fuller, discovered firsthand.

5 DO’S

1. DO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE ABILITY TO PRE-RECORD SOME CONTENT

“This was key for us. We wanted to eliminate all of the technical issues that are normal in same-day broadcasts. We knew that we were trading off some of the impromptu elements of our event by having the videos pre-produced, but we were comfortable with that, knowing we had great speakers and that video, audio, and production quality were the most important things to keep the audience engaged. We did have a few talks that included both live and recorded elements. We pre-recorded opening statements and speeches and then went to a live video Q&A.”

2. DO ENLIST THE HELP OF A MODERATOR TO KEEP ATTENDEES ENGAGED

“For us, we are fortunate to have professional TV and radio talents on staff that can bring the audience into the discussion. For me, this feels a lot like a half-time show during a broadcast event. Our moderators would share their thoughts and observations about the talks on the day of the event.”

3. DO KEEP VIRTUAL SESSIONS SHORTER THAN IF THEY WERE IN-PERSON

“People have a shorter attention span virtually than they do in-person, so keep the content more concise. We would try to go for less than 20 minutes for many of our talks but occasionally ran over 30 minutes. None of the video content was more than 35 minutes long per session.”

4. DO GIVE YOUR AUDIENCE A CHANCE TO TAKE A BREAK

“We would run 4 to 5 [commercials] per break. For sponsors, this gave them a chance to talk about their product in a quick format. For the viewer, this provided a natural transition between topics. Effectively it was a book-end. We had more than one person comment about how it reminded them of the Super Bowl. In their words, ‘Come for the game, stay for the commercials.’”

5. DO OFFER VIDEO-ON-DEMAND POST-EVENT

“We found that more content is viewed on-demand than during the live broadcast. Users want to get access to the content they missed or to re-watch a session. Your sponsors and speakers will also want [video-on- demand] so they can post it on their website or social media accounts for future use.”

5 DON’TS

1. DON’T ASSUME YOU CAN PULL OFF HIGH QUALITY WITHOUT PAYING FOR IT

“We estimated our budget all-in was over $500,000 for the three-day event. While this seems like a great deal of money, it is far cheaper than doing an in-person event at a convention center, which can run close to $2 million. We also had a team of 8 full-time production resources and about 15 on-camera talents that participated in the hosting or moderating of our live event.”

2. DON’T EXPECT VIRTUAL EVENTS TO BE LESS WORK

“Most people assume that virtual events are easier to pull off than in-person events. While that is true if you only did a Zoom event that should be marketed as a webinar if you want a highly professional virtual experience, you need to produce it like a TV program, and that takes work.”

3. DON’T JUST TRY TO REPLICATE YOUR IN-PERSON EVENT ONLINE

“This seems obvious, but I know a lot of event planners have stressed about that. In reality, the two experiences are very different, so approach them that way. We treated the three days as if we were a broadcast cable network. We wanted to make sure that the audience was able to get the highest quality content, delivered to them with the highest production quality.”

4. DON’T CUT CORNERS ON LIGHTING, CAMERA, AND AUDIO TECH

“Avoid using the built-in camera on computers for recording talks. While these are decent for video conference calls, they don’t produce a high-quality image for an HD streaming event. For our remote guests, we would either make recommendations of what someone should purchase or even send a kit to them that contained a camera, external light, and microphone.”

5. DON’T DEVIATE FROM YOUR SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

“Your virtual attendees will be coming and going throughout the day in terms of tuning in and will become very frustrated with an event that isn’t organized and zealous about schedules. This is true of in-person events as well, but even more so for a virtual event.”

If you’re planning a virtual or hybrid event, we’d love to help. Get in touch with us here.